"Taught to be automata": Examining the departmental role inshaping initial career choices of computing students

Background and ContextPost-secondary Computer Science (CS) students' career choices are complex sociocultural decisions, shaped by self-efficacy, belonging, and a multitude of known factors. Prior work has investigated the effect of these factors on career choice, but perspectives that examine norms of career practice are unexplored within computing.ObjectiveThis work applies Field Theory to surface the norms of career practice within a CS department, the mechanisms used to reinforce these norms, and students' experience of these norms.MethodWe conducted semi-structured interviews of 18 students, graduates, academic advisors and senior faculty program leaders within one CS department, analyzing data with a Bourdieusian lens.FindingsIn line with prior work, we found that normative career practice centered prestige, leading students to prioritize work at elite technology companies. This work contributes three mechanisms of norm enforcement: companies utilized their departmental position to recruit more effectively, curricula optimized preparing students for prestigious work, and career advising assumed alignment with departmental norms. Students aligned with departmental norms opted for prestige to alleviate career uncertainty and because more fulfilling work felt inaccessible; students unaligned with departmental norms felt conflicted about their participation within CS and substantial effort was required to resist norms.ImplicationsNormative CS career practice likely discourages students who lack alignment with norms from participating in CS; additionally, the narrowness of established norms leaves little space for alternatives. Broadening participation efforts in CS are unlikely to be successful without structurally broadening what constitutes legitimate career practice to make space for students' diverseaspirations.